The binding of books in signature form has little changed from antiquity. Whether binding is done by hand, or by machine, the pages of a book are so printed that groups (signatures), usually of no less than sixteen pages, can be sewn together in binding. Since we are printing in two-page forms (folio imposition), that means that a signature will consist of four sheets, each folded once down the middle and laid one inside another. The outside sheet will carry the first and last pages of the signature, say pages 1 and 16, on one side, backed up by pages 2 and 15. The next sheet will carry pages 3 and 14, backed up by 4 and 13. And so on to the middle of the signature, where pages 8 and 9 will form the center spread.
Gathering, sewing, and trimming. For hand binding, all the signatures of the book are first gathered in correct order. Then one by one they are sewn, with needle and linen thread, through the fold and around cords or over flat linen tapes held taut in a sewing frame. Small xe2x80x9ckettle stitchesxe2x80x9d near the top and bottom of each signature link it to the adjacent ones. When all signatures have been sewn, they and the cords or tapes are removed from the sewing frame, and the endpapers (often decorative) are attached (tipped) to the outside signatures with a thin line of paste or glue. (Alternatively, the endpapers may have been sewn in with the signatures.) The spine is then knocked square and the book is trimmed, usually on all three exposed sides. A coating of flexible glue is commonly applied to the spine at this point, to help hold everything together.
Case binding was the first fully mechanized method to be developed for binding books. The direct descendant of the hand-binding method described earlier, case binding (also called editing binding and hard-back binding) is still employed for most trade and scholarly books. It produces a machine-bound book that superficially resembles a hand-bound one, although the binding differs structurally and is not as strong. Folding and collating. Like all binding methods, case binding begins with folding the press sheets and gathering the signatures in order (collating here done by machine. In book printing, 8, 16, or, more frequently, 32 pages are printed at one time on one side of the sheet and backed up with the same number on the other side, for signatures of 32 pages Large sheets are usually cut to 32-page size before folding). If separately printed plates are to be included in the book, they are added to the signatures by wrapping, inserting, or tipping.
Sewing. The signatures are then sewn, through the folds and to each other, but not around cords or tapes, as in hand binding. This is Smyth (rhymes with blithe) sewing. In side sewing the stitches go through all the signatures at once from the side. It is stronger than Smyth sewing, but the book will not open flat. After sewing, end sheets are tipped on, and the sewn book is smashed (squeezed in a press to remove air) and trimmed. Forwarding. Next comes the sequence of operations collectively known as Forwarding. These include a preliminary gluing of the spine, as in hand binding, rounding and backing, here performed by forcing the clamped sheets against steel rollers rather than by pounding, and finally, lining. Lining provides a hinge between the book and the cover. A piece of stout gauze (super) somewhat wider than the book is thick is glued to the spine with its edges extending outward. A strip of heavy paper is glued down over the super, with the headbands tucked under the super at the top and bottom. (Since the head-bands are almost purely decorative in a case-bound book, they are sometimes left out to save money.)
Casing in. The book is now ready to be cased in, or enclosed in its cover. Unlike the cover of a hand-bound book, the case is completely preformed, with boards and paper buckstrip pasted to the printed or stamped cloth, before it is joined to the book. Like all the other operations described, casing in is an automatic process in a modern bindery. The endpapers are given a coat of paste just before the case is joined to the book.
Perfect bound books are stacks of single sheets that are glued together along one edge. This type of book is comparatively less expensive to produce but results in a poorer quality binding that does not open well or lay flat and often will come apart after frequent or hard use. Such perfect bound books are not considered to be of archival quality lacking the durability to withstand hard and long usage.
Other modern and expedient methods of binding books, such as spiral wire binding, stapling, ring binding and the like are also to be found in the book manufacturing trade.
The present invention not only utilizes modern materials and methods, but also further recognizes the evolution in the publishing and distribution of books and related printed textual material. Because of book manufacturing expenses, a publisher has the book printed and machine bound in large numbers to keep the individual copy cost low. Books with a smaller market often cost more per copy to produce. Inventory, distribution, and shipping of books further add to the cost of producing a book.
With the evolution of the digital personal computer, digital communications such as the Internet, and with high quality reasonable cost digital printer technology, such as laser and ink jet printers, there is a growing trend to shift the manufacture of a book from large scale production methods to individual xe2x80x9cbooks on demandxe2x80x9d. A book can be written, edited, designed, composed, distributed and printed all from the software programming of a digital personal computer. As a consequence, there is a new means of publishing books. Some of this book publishing technology looks to a digital computer as the final product to be used for xe2x80x9creadingxe2x80x9d the book. Whereas the production and distribution of xe2x80x9cconventionalxe2x80x9d books are similarly being revolutionized. However, the final product of a book is the bound printed page and the technology for producing this part of the product has changed little in recent years.
The present invention incorporates the utility of being able to print and bind a finished book from a digital computer and printer, anywhere and anytime, without the need for machinery, tools, equipment, or special skills. Further, the utility of the present invention provides for a simple means to bind a book without glue and clamps in just a few minutes. This would produce a book of archival quality with the durability of sewn signature bound books with the desirable feature of opening and laying flat during use.
The present disclosure describes a device and corresponding method for binding folded sheets of paper in signatures and further binding signatures into book form. The device replaces the classical method of sewing signatures together by means of thread and glue with use of a pre formed signature comb, the xe2x80x9cteethxe2x80x9d of which pass through perforations in the fold of each signature (and consequently each sheet of the signature); signature comb tooth fastening at the back or spine of the signature by attaching to a pre formed interlocking spine tape and spine hinge; and where more than one signature being bound together by a plurality of interlocking signature combs in the preformed spine. The spine may be designed so as to include a variety of means for securing the collected and bound signatures to a cover, in other words to xe2x80x9ccase inxe2x80x9d the bounds signatures to a book cover. It is readily seen that this method is simple to effect resulting in a book bound in signature form having the desirable characteristics of ease of opening, permanency, durability of binding and so forth.
The device provides a method requiring no additional equipment, machinery, tools or skills, further requiring no adhesive or glue, enabling relatively unskilled persons to easily bind a book or a few copies of a book, on demand, and in very little time. Further, the device and corresponding method is seen to also be adaptable to mechanized assembly (binding) in large volume bookbinding production.
The following description and drawings are of a preferred means of embodiment of the general concept and is not intended as a limitation to the scope of the disclosed invention or inventive concept.
As an anecdotal introduction to the Description of the Drawings, the concept and visualization of the following may be enhanced by having at hand a common xe2x80x9celectrical cable tiexe2x80x9d strip (available at hardware and home improvement stores) which irreversibly interlocks into itself (by means of teeth and a pawl) for bundling together a plurality of wire cables; and further a common plastic tag tie used to secure sales tags to articles of clothing in retail stores.